Persian Tales of Turtles and Pearls - Professor Christine van Ruymbeke, University of Cambridge

On Escaping or Not Escaping Solitude. Persian Tales of Turtles and Pearls.

Narratives speak volumes. As remarked by the philosopher Hannah Arendt, they are the only possible medium to express the complexity of philosophical or other conundrums. Often, the reader’s effort to decode them, that is: the exercise itself, contains the pedagogy. This presentation examines two great Medieval Persian narrative works: the Book of Kalila and Dimna ( کتاب کليله و دمنه Ketab-e Kalile-o Demne) by Nasrollah Monshi and the Seven Portraits ( هفت پيکرHaft Paykar) composed by Nezami Ganjavi. Should we escape or not escape solitude, that feeling experienced in a state of physical or mental isolation? Aren’t friendship or love preferable, even at very high costs? My two authors-philosophers propose deadly serious situations … and leave us to work them out. Listen to what happens to the bored old King of the Monkeys up in his fig tree! Be baffled by the riddles of the Princess who sets such very high standards to her suitors! I will introduce you to my way of interacting with these two sophisticated narratives written for the highest social strata of the Persianate world; they address people whose expectations from literature were manifestly different from ours in this 21st century. Nevertheless, my aim is to see you leave this lecture with a huge smile on your face and a new way of looking at friendship and love, basking in a new awareness of what Persian tales do to us and how irresistible they are.

[mevys]

Professor Professor Christine van Ruymbeke,
Thank you very much for so elegantly presenting your message. I immensely enjoyed it without moving from my desk. I have a question. We live in a world that people wants every thing now and fast so not really understanding the metaphors and imagery! Perhaps I am wrong!? how can one make people to be interested in the old classic literatures? Thank you again for your wonderful lecture.